A lightly sweet, tender coconut lime cake with a sweet, tart glaze dressed up with a sprinkle of coconut and lime slices on top. This is an easy cake to make and everyone loves it.
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My family absolutely loves this cake. It has just the right amount of tartness and sweetness. The lime glaze you pour on it after it’s baked adds tons of flavor and a yummy coating like a glazed donut only tart. The cake is moist and dense like a coffee cake.
Originally, I made this cake for myself for Mother’s Day. I’d been wanting to make the cake since Maria posted the recipe on her site, Two Peas and Their Pod. My friend Megan at Megan’s Cookin did a gorgeous version of it for Easter.
Then a couple of days later, my good blogging friend Shelby posted a recipe for Lime Coconut White Chocolate Muffins and I knew I had to make the cake. Since I rarely have buttermilk on hand, I substituted light sour cream in the recipe.
Another change I made to the original recipe, was to double the glaze. You poke holes in the warm cake and drizzle the glaze on the cake. Just add it slowly and let it soak into the cake.
Then to help the coconut stay on top, you drizzle even more glaze over the coconut on top of the cake.
Some great cake baking tips.
First, to quickly bring your butter to room temperature you can cut it into slices and it will warm up quickly while you’re gathering your ingredients.
Second, use a disher (scoop) to portion out the cake batter in a pan. This batter is thick and can be hard to spread evenly in the pan. Using a scoop makes it easy.
Third, when glazing your cake, put it on a wire rack inside a rimmed cookie shoot to catch any drips and make clean up a breeze.
I’ve made this cake numerous times since I originally baked it. I’ve made it for friends and family, baked it as a 9-inch single layer cake, as well as the coffee cake version shown above. Decorating with the lime wedges isn’t necessary, but a fun way to show that it’s a lime and coconut cake.
I recently baked it for a family get together and everyone wanted a second slice but there wasn’t enough for everyone to have two pieces. Next time I bake it, I’ll have to bake two cakes, so everyone can have a second slice.
Definitely give this Coconut Lime Cake a try. You and your family will be glad you did.
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Coconut Lime Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
- ¾ cup light sour cream
- 6 tablespoons lime juice divided
- 2 cups 240 grams cake flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup sweetened flaked coconut, divided
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 ¼ cup 198 grams granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon grated lime zest save a pinch to decorate the top
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- 1 ⅓ cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees with rack in the middle. Butter a 9-inch round cake pan, line bottom with a round of parchment paper then butter the parchment paper, or spray a 13 cup coffee cake pan with non-stick spray with flour.
- In a small mixing bowl, combine sour cream and 2 tablespoons of lime juice; set aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Place ½ cup shredded coconut and process in a mini food processor until finely chopped (you can also finely chop it with a knife). Stir the chopped coconut into the flour mixture and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat together butter, sugar, and lime zest with an electric mixer until very fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Turn mixer to low speed, add one third of the flour mixture, beat well, then beat in half of the sour cream. Beat in another third of flour mixture, then second half of sour cream. End with the last third of the flour mixture, beat until well combined, making sure to scrape down the bowl with a spatula.
- Spoon batter into the buttered cake pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Bake in the center of a preheated 350 degree oven until golden and a wooden skewer inserted in the center comes out clean, 35-45 minutes for a 9-inch pan, 20 - 30 minutes for a 13 cup coffee cake pan (an internal temperature of 210 degrees).
- Cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack, then turn out of pan and discard parchment if using.
- Whisk together powdered sugar and the remaining four tablespoons of lime juice. Poke top of cake all over with a toothpick or fork then pour glaze over the top and drizzle down the sides of the cake, reserving ½ cup.
- Pulse the remaining ½ cup coconut and the reserved lime zest in the food processor to coarsely chop it. Sprinkle coconut on top of cake and drizzle remaining glaze over coconut.
Notes
Lime Meltaways, Barbara Bakes
Chocolate Covered Frozen Key Lime Pie Bites, Barbara Bakes
Key Lime Pound Cake, Barbara Bakes
Lime Baby Cakes, A Farmgirl Dabbles
Key Lime Fudge, Recipe Girl
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Rocky Mountain Woman
I love the flavor combo and will never pass up a recipe with coconut in it! So pretty!
Barbara Schieving
Thanks so much Barb!
Sally Walter
This cake looks delicious, but I don’t see any white chocolate chips listed in the recipe.
Barbara Schieving
Thanks Sally – the first time I made it, I added 1 cup white chocolate chips, but this time I omitted it because some white chocolate chips melt into the cake.
Laurel
I don’t see any white chocolate chips in the recipe. Could I use buttermilk instead of sour cream?
Barbara Schieving
Yes, you can sub 3/4 cup buttermilk for the sour cream. I omitted the white chocolate chips when I updated the recipe, but you can add 1 cup if you’d like.
Carol
That cake sure looks like a winner to me-you can’t go wrong with that flavor combination. Every time I see you use your coffee cake pan, I remember I have one here that has never been used. This would be a good reason to take it out! 🙂
Millicent
Bonjour,
I love your recipes and I will be very glad if you can add metric measurements for your European followers like me.
Thank you.
Barbara Schieving
Hi Millicent – sorry, I don’t have much experience using metric measurements. However, if you do convert a recipe to metric and wanted to leave a comment with the conversion, that would be great. Thanks!
Theresa Ayres
Can this cake. Be made in a bundt pan?
Barbara Schieving
Hi Theresa – I haven’t tried it, but I think it would make a great bundt cake.
Theresa Ayres
Thanks, do you think temp. And time should be adjusted?
Barbara Schieving
I would use the same temperature and think the time should be about the same, but keep an eye on it.
The Double Dipped Life
This looks amazing! Lime and coconut is a mouthwatering combination. Great pictures!
Scorpio Woman
This cake looks very yummy 🙂
Valerie
This is so pretty and now I'm craving it!
Gabe's Girl
Simply, beautiful!
ARUNA
wow this cake looks so gorgeous!!!!!!
Molly Jean
Oh my… this looks SINFUL!
Thanks for the great recipe/idea!
Sophie
I’m so used to seeing coconut and lime in a pie but it’s so nice to see these flavors in a cake — the warmth white chocolate offers is the perfect addition. 🙂
Aggie
Oh how bad do I want a slice!! or two? Looks absolutely delicious! I love coconut and lime!
Pam
Oh my. You have no idea how much I want a slice. I know what I want for my birthday – this cake!
Jaime
coconut and lime is a favorite combo of mine! this cake looks so moist and delicious
teresa
It wasn’t until I started food blogging that I discovered what a great combination coconut and lime are! This looks SO good!
Kristen
I don’t make a lot of cakes, but this looks like one I would make – lovely!
Colleen
That looks so good! I love lime and white chocolate! I never did make myself a mother’s day cake, maybe I’ll have to do this one a little late. Thanks for the idea!
Talita
Sounds delicious! The dough looks so fluffy and yummy.